Saturday, February 22, 2020

Aspect of the law and engineering Research Paper

Aspect of the law and engineering - Research Paper Example In civil engineering, there are frequent cases where injuries are borne by the employees (being the workers) due to industrial accidents and other such hazards related to the construction of various projects2. Prior to worker’s compensation, an employer was held to several narrowly defined duties of care for the protection of his employees (Mitchelle, 1976). The employers seldom received their due after having borne the injuries mainly because of the unfortunate prevalence of the doctrine of contributory negligence, the fellow-servant rule and voluntary assumption of the risk in the common law countries. In order to tackle this discriminatory issue of industrial liability in case of injured employees, the concept of Workmen’s Compensation was introduced. It is now popular in many countries namely the United States of America, Brazil, Germany, India, UK etc. In the United States of America, the Workmen’s Compensation laws are created differently by various states however the fundamentals of all the acts remain the same. There are a number of characteristic properties that are common in all the laws of Workmen’s Compensation – (a) automatic entitlement of the employer to compensation in case of personal injury borne due to an industrial accident (b) Employee’s contributory negligence or employer’s freedom from the fault does not lessen the former’s rights (c) Only employees are covered and not independent contractors (d) Cash benefits, Medical expenses etc. are provided and benefits for dependents are counted in case of death of the employee (however maximum and minimum are imposed) (e) the employee or his dependents forfeit the right to personally sue the employer for the loss (f) Right to sue third persons in case of negligence on their part prevails (subject to conditions) (g) administration is in the hands of administrative commissions (h) the employer is required to secure his liability through private insurance etc. so that the liability of compensation passes to the consumer in the price of the product (Larson, 1952). Initially a few problems were recognized in the U.S. regarding the Worker’s Compensation as apparently it disregarded the Fourteenth Amendment’s prohibition against taking of property without due process of law and deprived both parties of the freedom of contract. This problem was resolved by the New York Workmen’s Compensation Act of 1916 after the famous case of New York Central Railroad Company v White3. The specific laws which deal with construction safety hazards in the U.S. are administered by governing regulatory body called Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)4. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the employers have the responsibility to provide a safe workplace to their employees. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 has defined certain responsibilities for the employers and also has defin ed penalties in case of violation of the duties5. In order to start a construction or even before entering a contract, an engineer has to keep in mind all the legal aspects of workmen’s compensation. Even though the Engineer may cover up his costs by ultimately shifting it to the customer in form of price of the product, he has to initially formalize the insurance for his employees. In case the engineer

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Electronic recycling in the us, why is it important to our future Research Paper

Electronic recycling in the us, why is it important to our future - Research Paper Example Data by the Consumer Electronics Association indicate that each American household own about 24 electronic products. As such, there is large volume of electronic waste, which poses serious dangers to the environment. It is for this reason that there have been increased efforts to recycle electronic products in the US. Environmental experts argue that continuing increase in the recycling rates in the US will help the country to pull out of the electronic garbage heap and minimize global warming emissions (Natural Resources Defense Council para 2). This paper will discuss electronic recycling in the US, as well as why it is important to the country’s future. The industry of electronic recycling has evolved to become an increasingly critical part of the environmental sustainability management program (Lee para 3). Individuals, corporations, and government agencies have enhanced their focus in addressing environmental and sustainability management issues. Electronic recycling has consequently, become a critical part of this trend. Recycling is a major step in a full loop of practices that will reduce the quantity of waste that goes to landfills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (Natural Resources Defense Council para 3). Electronic recycling involves more than bundling up electronic materials. Manufacturers are required to use recycled materials in making their products. Similarly, consumers should purchase products made from post-consumer recycled materials. The more the demand for products made with recycled materials rather than virgin materials is increased, the more successful recycling will be at curbing global warming and saving natural resources. Electronic recycling not only extends the valuable products’ lives, but also prevents valuable materials from becoming wastes (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency para 2). The society now has many recycling options. Many manufacturers of electronic goods such as TV, computer and cell phones and ret ailers of these products sponsor recycling events and offer some form of take back program. It should be noted that nearly half of states in America presently have laws on recycling and disposal of electronics and a number of other states are considering passage of similar laws (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency para 2). Discarded electronics including broken cell phones, old computers, and obsolete TV sets form the fastest- growing element of the US waste stream. It is estimated that Americans threw away about 2 million tons of electronic trash in the year 2005 and recycled about 38,000 tons only (Natural Resources Defense Council para 8). This points out to the danger that US is faced with going to the future. The problem is further compounded by the fact that there is no national e-waste law. However, some individual states have put in place laws that require recycling of electronics waste, and for designing of more recyclable and less toxic gadgets. Electronic recycling has s ignificant benefits to the US society and enhancing of this program will present the country with more benefits. It helps to extend the lives of electronic products and therefore keeping them out of the waste stream for much longer time. In addition, it allows lower-income families, non-profit organizations, and schools to obtain equipment that they may not have been able to afford (U.S. Environment